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From left (in blue aloha wear): PDC’s David Askov, Todd Bosse, Steve Kunitzer, and Chris Chiesa received ESRI’s “Special Achievement in GIS” award from ESRI President Dr. Jack Dangermond (center) at the ESRI 2005 International User Conference. (Photo: PDC)
The recent accomplishments of the
Pacific
Disaster
Center
have made an impact in both the disaster management and Geographic Information Systems (GIS) fields. This was made clear at ESRI’s 2005 International User Conference in
San Diego, California
where PDC was prominently featured at the leading trade show in the GIS industry.
“I was very proud of the recognition PDC received from ESRI of our efforts over the past several years to develop and deploy enterprise GIS solutions for disaster management,” said Senior Manager Chris Chiesa, who accepted ESRI’s prestigious Special Achievements in GIS Award on behalf of PDC along with three other colleagues. “Geospatial technologies are critical to the disaster management and humanitarian assistance fields. Our award is really a testimony that GIS empowers others in saving lives and property.”
A total of 145 organizations received the award across a wide spectrum of industries, representing one in ten thousand of ESRI’s “end user” sites, according to ESRI President Dr. Jack Dangermond.
In addition, activities ranging from PDC’s Indian Ocean tsunami response to the Asia Pacific Natural Hazards Information Network (APNHIN) were highlighted to nearly 14,000 attendees during the Conference’s plenary session. PDC projects were also prominently featured in special displays in the “Map Gallery” and at the “Public Safety Showcase.”
During this busy week, PDC staff also presented papers on topics including Internet Map Services, “Map Viewer” technology, regional risk and vulnerability assessment methodologies, and APNHIN. They were also invited presenters in the “GIS for Disaster Management” Special Interest Group meeting.
“In a quarter century, the geospatial industry has come a long way, and it is great to be associated with the industry leader, ESRI,” concludes Chiesa. “This past year has confirmed that the work we are undertaking at PDC—in collaboration with ESRI and our disaster management colleagues around the globe—is truly making a difference.”
PDC’s booth included multimedia displays highlighting the role of geospatial information
in disaster management, as demonstrated by PDC’s Craig Chellis to a conference participant. (Photo: PDC)
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